His footsteps on the metal stairs echoed as he climbed them. At one time he
wouldn't have bothered to use stairs, but to show his real power would be
disastrous. 'My strength is not my ally anymore' Lavender thought as he
reached the third floor platform. 'It is what imprisoned me.' The third
floor was decorated with finery, another surprise to the agent. 'This must
be where all the important dignitaries sleep when they decide to spend
their blood money for skiing. I know for a fact that is the real reason Mr.
Fujisora is staying here for the next couple of weeks, until he gets bored
and decides to bask in a tropical paradise.' He found his room easily
enough; unlike the door beside it his had no eyehole or gold room number.
"Ah, the body guard suite." Swiping the card he entered. Inside were a
plain bed, a bureau, a wooden desk and a chair, all looking like they had
seen better days. With another sigh he dropped his bags onto his bed. 'At
least there is a closet.' Lavender quickly unpacked his rumpled clothes and
shoved them into the closet and bureau. He grabbed his case with his laptop
and placed in on the desk, he can always hook it up later.
When he reached into the bottom of his clothes bag he could feel the familiar sheath of his sword. With a gentle tug he pulled it out of his bag. Lavender caught a reflection of himself in the blade. The face was so different than the one he would see in the mirror only two years ago. That face had been happy, something it had rarely been in his life. Now his hair was a bowl cut, like it had been when he was young. But the eyes, they were almost dead. He had almost lost everything, and to mess up just once now would make him lose it all. His face was taunt, no longer as healthy. Eating was a necessity, but to Lavender it was another burden to carry. He began to lie the sword down on the bed when he froze. A strange sensation of danger overcame him. "I think that I might need this tonight" he decided out loud, a habit he had developed while spending so much time alone. Fastening the sword onto his back over his gray jacket he left the room. Before he left the hall he perked his ear to check on his client. A light rosy hue fell on his cheeks and he quickly turned his attention away from the room. 'It sounds like he is doing okay.'
The lounge was even more different from what Lavender had first imagined. Cocktail waitresses served drinks to the tables while performers on stage entertained those who weren't already drunk. The agent glanced at the rowdy men at the tables and headed to the bar. He sat at an empty stool and waited to be served. The bartender had been yelling at a man who had apparently too much to drink. The man's friends eventually dragged his out of the lounge to no doubt his room. Lavender coughed politely to get the bartender's attention. "What would you like mate?"
"Anything good." The bartender stared at him for a moment and laughed.
"Not much of a drinker?" The bald headed man asked.
Lavender nodded. "Haven't had the time to." The bartender laughed again as he fixed a drink. He slid it over to Lavender who thanked him.
"Its not often when I get a man who admits to not drinking and ain't drunk at the time. You must be new, I haven't seen you before."
Lavender nodded again. "I was assigned to watch a client here to make sure there isn't any trouble for him." He sipped his drink feeling the warmth in his throat. At one time he had resorted to drinking just as a way to escape. Unfortunately it took a lot to get him drunk and he gave it up.
"A lot of the men here are full-time soldiers. The majority of the women here are entertainers or from local villages here to have a good time on the house. We have had our share of important 'clients' here too. The snow is great for anyone who likes it."
"You don't?"
The bald headed man laughed again, his laugh gruff but friendly. "I hate the snow and I hate this place."
"Why don't you apply to be transferred?"
"Oh no, I don't belong to the army. Me, I'm from the village but they gave me a job here to serve drinks. I didn't want to join the army here because of my missus and my little boy. I don't know how come they haven't forced me, I guess it's because I helped out a lot when they set up the base. I want to get enough money to get my family out of this frozen piece of hell and start up somewhere new." The bartender got up from his leaning position on the counter in shock of what he had told the stranger. "I don't mean I don't like these people, no! I really think you all got the right idea about things and I would -".
Lavender smiled a genuine full smile. "Trust me, I know what you are talking about."
The bartender looked gratefully at the agent. He began to open his mouth but he saw two men come in with crisp uniforms and medals that glinted off of the flashing lights. "Excuse me, I need to take of them."
Lavender sat alone for the next hour. He slowly sipped his drink and thought about how much of a nightmare his dream had turned into. 'Oh mother, how could all of this happen? Our intentions were so. noble, yet here we are, you sentenced to imprisonment or death, and me working for the very hands that keep you caged. Why is the world still in peril? It is safe from the androids, but not from the people that populate it. So many men and women: driven to madness for a taste of power. Killing each other in a battle to be on top. And here I sit, the saviour who started it all. Damn them all, I should have let the androids killed everyone; then we all would be at peace. Nine years. Nine years since I destroyed them, since then mankind has fallen from victim into aggressor. Only the innocent people who just want to get on in their lives are suffering.' Lavender's thoughts were interrupted by a group of soldiers that at some point had sat down on the stools near him.
"Wow the shows sure have been great tonight. I think they flew in some new acts just for Mr. Fujisora's visit." A blonde man howled slapping one of his companions on the back.
A soldier with green hair exclaimed to his friend next to him. "Hey Lor, did you see that fine specimen that our special guest picked up tonight?"
"Sure did, damn, where do you find chicks like her? They don't get much more different without being freaks." Lor replied back.
His friends smacked him on his head. "She was amazing, that tail was unbelievable."
Lor grumbled at his friends for his beating. "It was a monkey tail, that isn't sexy, it's disturbing." Lavender's ears pricked up. He sipped the remains of his drink and began to listen more carefully to the conversation. The soldiers unfortunately had changed the topic to new assignments and Lavender began to lose interest.
A fourth man joined the group beside Lavender. His ears and nose were pink from being outdoors in the cold. "Hey Mac, get me something to warm me up, I just got off duty." The bartender, who had just came back, snarled at the guy and handed him a glass.
"Guys the storm stopped." The new soldier said after downing his drink. "Lets say we go into town and pick us up a few girls for the night?"
"Can't do it Thomas." The red head said sullenly. "We would be caught sneaking out for sure. It's a full moon out tonight."
The strange fellow they had sat down by startled the men. He abruptly got up and threw some money at the counter then bolted out of the lounge. "What's his problem?" muttered Thomas. ..
Gee I wonder whose the woman with the tail?
Please Review!
When he reached into the bottom of his clothes bag he could feel the familiar sheath of his sword. With a gentle tug he pulled it out of his bag. Lavender caught a reflection of himself in the blade. The face was so different than the one he would see in the mirror only two years ago. That face had been happy, something it had rarely been in his life. Now his hair was a bowl cut, like it had been when he was young. But the eyes, they were almost dead. He had almost lost everything, and to mess up just once now would make him lose it all. His face was taunt, no longer as healthy. Eating was a necessity, but to Lavender it was another burden to carry. He began to lie the sword down on the bed when he froze. A strange sensation of danger overcame him. "I think that I might need this tonight" he decided out loud, a habit he had developed while spending so much time alone. Fastening the sword onto his back over his gray jacket he left the room. Before he left the hall he perked his ear to check on his client. A light rosy hue fell on his cheeks and he quickly turned his attention away from the room. 'It sounds like he is doing okay.'
The lounge was even more different from what Lavender had first imagined. Cocktail waitresses served drinks to the tables while performers on stage entertained those who weren't already drunk. The agent glanced at the rowdy men at the tables and headed to the bar. He sat at an empty stool and waited to be served. The bartender had been yelling at a man who had apparently too much to drink. The man's friends eventually dragged his out of the lounge to no doubt his room. Lavender coughed politely to get the bartender's attention. "What would you like mate?"
"Anything good." The bartender stared at him for a moment and laughed.
"Not much of a drinker?" The bald headed man asked.
Lavender nodded. "Haven't had the time to." The bartender laughed again as he fixed a drink. He slid it over to Lavender who thanked him.
"Its not often when I get a man who admits to not drinking and ain't drunk at the time. You must be new, I haven't seen you before."
Lavender nodded again. "I was assigned to watch a client here to make sure there isn't any trouble for him." He sipped his drink feeling the warmth in his throat. At one time he had resorted to drinking just as a way to escape. Unfortunately it took a lot to get him drunk and he gave it up.
"A lot of the men here are full-time soldiers. The majority of the women here are entertainers or from local villages here to have a good time on the house. We have had our share of important 'clients' here too. The snow is great for anyone who likes it."
"You don't?"
The bald headed man laughed again, his laugh gruff but friendly. "I hate the snow and I hate this place."
"Why don't you apply to be transferred?"
"Oh no, I don't belong to the army. Me, I'm from the village but they gave me a job here to serve drinks. I didn't want to join the army here because of my missus and my little boy. I don't know how come they haven't forced me, I guess it's because I helped out a lot when they set up the base. I want to get enough money to get my family out of this frozen piece of hell and start up somewhere new." The bartender got up from his leaning position on the counter in shock of what he had told the stranger. "I don't mean I don't like these people, no! I really think you all got the right idea about things and I would -".
Lavender smiled a genuine full smile. "Trust me, I know what you are talking about."
The bartender looked gratefully at the agent. He began to open his mouth but he saw two men come in with crisp uniforms and medals that glinted off of the flashing lights. "Excuse me, I need to take of them."
Lavender sat alone for the next hour. He slowly sipped his drink and thought about how much of a nightmare his dream had turned into. 'Oh mother, how could all of this happen? Our intentions were so. noble, yet here we are, you sentenced to imprisonment or death, and me working for the very hands that keep you caged. Why is the world still in peril? It is safe from the androids, but not from the people that populate it. So many men and women: driven to madness for a taste of power. Killing each other in a battle to be on top. And here I sit, the saviour who started it all. Damn them all, I should have let the androids killed everyone; then we all would be at peace. Nine years. Nine years since I destroyed them, since then mankind has fallen from victim into aggressor. Only the innocent people who just want to get on in their lives are suffering.' Lavender's thoughts were interrupted by a group of soldiers that at some point had sat down on the stools near him.
"Wow the shows sure have been great tonight. I think they flew in some new acts just for Mr. Fujisora's visit." A blonde man howled slapping one of his companions on the back.
A soldier with green hair exclaimed to his friend next to him. "Hey Lor, did you see that fine specimen that our special guest picked up tonight?"
"Sure did, damn, where do you find chicks like her? They don't get much more different without being freaks." Lor replied back.
His friends smacked him on his head. "She was amazing, that tail was unbelievable."
Lor grumbled at his friends for his beating. "It was a monkey tail, that isn't sexy, it's disturbing." Lavender's ears pricked up. He sipped the remains of his drink and began to listen more carefully to the conversation. The soldiers unfortunately had changed the topic to new assignments and Lavender began to lose interest.
A fourth man joined the group beside Lavender. His ears and nose were pink from being outdoors in the cold. "Hey Mac, get me something to warm me up, I just got off duty." The bartender, who had just came back, snarled at the guy and handed him a glass.
"Guys the storm stopped." The new soldier said after downing his drink. "Lets say we go into town and pick us up a few girls for the night?"
"Can't do it Thomas." The red head said sullenly. "We would be caught sneaking out for sure. It's a full moon out tonight."
The strange fellow they had sat down by startled the men. He abruptly got up and threw some money at the counter then bolted out of the lounge. "What's his problem?" muttered Thomas. ..
Gee I wonder whose the woman with the tail?
Please Review!